Discussion around euthanasia often centers on two core ideas: a clear, firm, voluntary choice to end one’s life, and the aim to spare unnecessary pain and suffering. In the case of a death in 2019 involving Isaac Guillén Torrijos, a 45-year-old former local police officer from Catarroja, neither of these principles clearly dictated the outcome. There was no direct permission from him when the events unfolded at the end of 2019, a time before any euthanasia legislation had been approved. Although he had spoken about dying with dignity, this did not translate into an explicit, legally binding instruction. He communicated his wishes in a written statement and to his closest friends and children. In a troubling sequence, his widow allegedly assaulted him and attempted to suffocate him with shoelaces and a butane gas canister inside a vehicle. The body was later disposed of in a grave that had long been prepared, while the widow assumed his identity to mislead others into believing he remained alive. The prosecutor emphasized that euthanasia was a central, brutal aspect of this murder when presenting the case to jurors who must decide on the accused’s guilt.
Beatriu FC, aged 43, faces the maximum penalty under the Penal Code in a case described by news outlets as the murder of a particularly vulnerable person due to disability. In the same proceedings, the son, who was 16 at the time, was tried and sentenced by the Juvenile Court. He received a two-year semi-open regime as an accomplice to aiding suicide, with the sentence reflecting the minor’s conduct and the prosecutor’s reminder that the boy believed his mother was carrying out her husband’s will.
The accused’s son was sentenced for assisted suicide, acting on the false belief that he was fulfilling his stepfather’s will.
Beatriu’s defense contends that Isaac’s will was to end his life and questions the economic rationale of the charges. The defense urged the jury not to be swayed by media coverage and stressed that the client faced life imprisonment, framing the case in stark terms to elicit sympathy.
Jurors will hear further allegations as the trial progresses. The deposition of the accused is scheduled for the upcoming Friday, after which they will consider all witness testimonies and expert analyses before delivering a verdict.
The case details and context
Isaac Guillén suffered from cerebellar ataxia, a degenerative condition, when he married Beatriu in 2017. Prosecutors, supported by police homicide investigators, say Beatriu depended financially on Isaac, who had been receiving a high disability pension since 2015 and earned rental income. If separation occurred, there would be little to shift, aside from the address where they lived, which Isaac maintained as his own.
The couple’s relationship deteriorated throughout 2019, marked by various conflicts. At least one incident required police involvement on November 1, 2019. Reports from Isaac’s circle suggest that divorce had been discussed multiple times, and Isaac had left the family home on occasion but returned, needing his wife’s care.
Following Isaac’s death, the accused took steps designed to conceal guilt, including impersonating him to lead others to believe he was alive and asking authorities to cease the search, asserting that the decision belonged to him and should be respected.
Steps surrounding the crime
The careful planning of Beatriu in the days leading to her husband’s death and the measures taken to avoid detection did not align with the claim of a consensual act of assisted suicide. Investigators noted that, in October, she rented a remote rural property in Godelleta, where a grave roughly dug for the body stood ready. The shallow dimensions of the dug space underscored the intent to conceal and dispose of the body there.
There were also hints of discussions about traveling abroad to regions where euthanasia might be permitted, with Isaac sometimes expressing a wish to die and collecting items that could support an “honorable death” narrative. On December 1, 2019, procedures reportedly included drugging the victim under the impression that he was receiving pain relief medication, and precautions were taken to separate phones to prevent traceability by authorities. The victim’s phone and those of his son were later placed with a relative in Paiporta to avoid discovery.
To avoid being at the crime scene, personal devices were relocated
During later house searches, investigators found Isaac’s phone hidden in a toiletry bag wrapped in foil—an apparent attempt to create a Faraday cage effect—while rooms were sealed with tape. The couple and their son reportedly traveled to Barcelona on several occasions, sending messages and calls that gave the impression of a deceased person in the weeks following the events.